The Trailblazer

Professor Dennis Foley is equally proud of his
contributions as a researcher, an international networker and a teacher.

"You cannot grow a towering tree unless you
care and nurture the sapling, and thus the seed of knowledge within the next
generation of researchers cannot be sown unless the student experiences the
thrill of research from those who pursue it themselves," he says.

Dennis's field of expertise
is Indigenous Australia, with a specific interest in Indigenous
entrepreneurship, a discipline for which he has written the first Australian
university course.

At
Newcastle he teaches Human Rights, Advocacy and Social Change; Working with
Communities; and Indigenous Cultural Competencies in the Humanities.

The
Fulbright scholar and dual Endeavour Fellow is a relative latecomer to academia, having begun tertiary studies at
age 40 following a career in finance.

"My
inspiration to study Aboriginal entrepreneurship and small business comes from
both my mother's brothers who, despite their dark skin and obvious Aboriginal
features, worked outside of the claws of the Aboriginal Protector with their
entrepreneurial pursuits and grasp of basic Maori language as a survival
strategy," Dennis says.

"My
father's grandfather was perhaps the most outstanding entrepreneur in the late
19th century. At a time when we were imprisoned on reserves, shot and poisoned
on the frontier, my great grandfather ran a successful bullock dray and
horse-drawn wagon business conveying general freight to and from the coastal
towns of northern NSW through the rugged New England plateau.

"Grandfather
Foley, in turn, learnt and gained these skills from his father. As an
industrious man he was never without work through the Great Depression and
supported many a Koori widow and her infants in the Glebe area of inner Sydney
with his ability to procure bran and waste flour from the White Bay flour
mills."

Dennis is a strong presence
within the local Indigenous community and business sector, and he is a
sought-after researcher in this field throughout Australia and internationally.

He
is a key contributor to The Journal of
Australian Indigenous Issues, which he says is a "top journal, underrated
but gaining more and more respect".

Australia's
first professor in Indigenous entrepreneurship is deeply interested in the
research of native cultures the world over.

Canada,
in particular, has proven a particularly productive field of research when it comes to the exchange of knowledge and
ideas.

"I have a wonderful relationship
with Canada," he says, referring to networks established with the University of
Regina, The Banff Centre, and his involvement as a CI in a Social Science and
Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) grant on Indigenous
entrepreneurship.

"It's
really encouraging as it puts Newcastle into the Canadian humanities sphere,"
Dennis says.

Another
Canadian link was forged when Simon Fraser University, Vancouver PhD student
Bryan Gallagher came to Newcastle earlier this year to study under Dennis's
supervision.

Dennis
says contacts made at the Centre of Pacific Studies at the University of
Hawaii, the University of Auckland, the University of Southern Denmark, the
Dublin Institute of Technology, the Small and Medium Business Corporation and
the Small and Medium Administration in South Korea, the National Dong Hwa
University in Taiwan and, closer to home, the universities of Adelaide,
Curtain, Monash and the Centre for Aboriginal Economic Policy Research at ANU,
have proven invaluable.

In addition to three current ARC projects and
the SSHRC, Dennis is working on a joint research project with the NSW
Indigenous Chamber of Commerce and the NSW Minister of Aboriginal Affairs
related to the implementation of increased procurement opportunities for
Indigenous small business.

"This is the application of two decades of
research into practical outcomes," he says.

In recognition of his work in the area of
Aboriginal small business, the Board of the Small Enterprise Association of Australia and New Zealand (SEAANZ)
recently elected Dennis to its executive. He has also been invited by the
executive of the International Consortium of Small Business (ICSB) to
coordinate the Indigenous/Minority stream of the 2014 world conference in
Dublin following his successful leadership of this stream at the 2012 World
conference in Wellington, New Zealand.

Career Summary

Biography

Professor Dennis Foley researches and teaches across numerous academic fields related to Indigenous Australians. He directs his main research focus towards the emerging discipline of Indigenous enterprise and entrepreneurship. Dennis’ career within the tertiary education sector began at Griffith University where he developed the Indigenous Career and Employment strategy and where he helped write the first Australian Indigenous Degree program in Indigenous Art. Several teaching appointments followed. This included MBA courses at the University of Queensland, Business and Management courses at the Australian Catholic University, and Indigenous Land-Use Management and Practice at the University of Queensland. Dennis has taught across Humanities, Education and Arts Faculties at the Universities of Queensland and Sydney, Queensland University of Technology and the University of Hawaii, as well as Financial and Strategic Management at Swinburne University while he held the position of Acting Director of the Masters program in Entrepreneurship. He currently teaches SPSW2001 Human Rights and Advocacy and Social Change; SPSW2002 Working with Communities; and HUMA3000 Indigenous Cultural Competencies in the Humanities. Prior to joining the tertiary education sector, Dennis held senior management positions within the banking and finance sector. His experience included state manager of a merchant bank and commercial lending. Dennis has written units of study at Undergraduate and Postgraduate levels, including Indigenous Politics, Land and Culture, Aboriginal Literature, and Language and Culture.

In line with his key research focus, Dennis has written the first Australian university course in Indigenous Entrepreneurship. Professor Foley is a Fulbright Scholar and dual Endeavour Fellow. His publications focus on social inclusion and cross disciples such as Indigenous Literature, Indigenous History, Indigenous Studies, Business Management (Entrepreneurship) and Indigenous Epistemology and Pedagogy. Dennis identifies as Koori. His matrilineal connection is Gai-mariagal of the Guringah language group of northern Sydney, and his patrilineal connection is to the Wiradjuri people of the Capertree/Turon River region. Dennis is active within the Indigenous community and Indigenous business associations. He is a Member of the Darug Tribal Aboriginal Corporation and Director of both the Mandurah Hunter Indigenous Business Chamber and the NSW Indigenous Chamber of Commerce. He has also received ministerial appointments to the Sydney Harbour Region Advisory Committee of the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service and to the Indigenous Business Advisory Group of the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations.

Research ExpertiseIndigenous Entrepreneurship - Aboriginal Entrepreneurship - Entrepreneurship - Minority Entrepreneurship - Small Business - Social Human Capital - Qualitative Research Methodology - Epistemology - Indigenous Standpoint Theory - Grounded Theory - Ethnography - Aboriginal Religions - Hawiian Studies - Maori Studies - Aboriginal Studies Traveller Studies - 1st Nations - American Indian Studies - Aboriginal History - Invasion History - Native Title - Cross Cultural Studies in Australia - Indigenous Tourism - Aboriginal Tourism - Tourism in Australia - Tourism in New Zealand - Maori Tourism My research career begins by being team leader in a research project for Sir Robert Askin in understanding why Aboriginal housing in Wilcannia was destroyed. I have undertaken or partnered with several outstanding practitioners that include the determination of effective roadside signage in snow conditions in Kosciusko National Park. Other projects include working with the NSW Police in streamlining offence procedures in the same region, researching similarities in holdups by Westpac that enabled a staff training program to reduce staff exposure to danger and/or trauma. Research into Aboriginal issues around the globe beginning in humble beginnings such as how to get Indigenous K-12 to attend school, understand and isolate the causation of racism in schools, researching racial ignorance in teachers and relating this back to their training, family environment and/or lack of field service training. Then my love for entrepreneurship blossomed over 15 years ago and I have been after solutions in how to create a financially independent 1st Nations society that is free from the shackles of welfare and poverty and research the positive and negative flows from entrepreneurial activity.

Teaching ExpertiseTeaching expertise begins in Westpac Banking Corporation in the 1980’s teaching customer service officers how to read the body language of their customers and staff looking for indicators of potential illegal activity. This was followed by training lending officers in the basics of Balance Sheet and Profit & Loss and debtor and creditor ledgers to understand the financial position of current clients and commercial loan applications. With a background in community counselling and Vietnam Veteran Counselling I began teaching as a guest lecturer in Cross Cultural Counselling in the psychology degree at Griffith University followed by specialist teaching in Financial Analysis in the Business Major which was further followed by teaching Aboriginal issues in a visual art degree at the Queensland College of Art. From here I was headhunted by the University of Queensland and taught Indigenous Studies such as Native Title, the political struggle, Indigenous land use management, and Black literature, Black Film & TV, Aboriginal Politics and Torres Strait Islander Studies for over 5 years. Then 2 years teaching Aboriginal subjects in sociology at QUT and several years at The University of Sydney teaching a broad range of Aboriginal studies similar to UQ. I also taught part-time accounting and management from an Indigenous perspective at the Australian Catholic University in their Indigenous Business Diploma and Degree. From Sydney University I moved to Swinburne University of Technology teaching entrepreneurship at a Masters level, Organizational Studies and Strategic Management and writing the first Indigenous Entrepreneurship subject for undergraduates in Australia. The University of Newcastle then appointed me as a researcher however I fought to teach and currently teach HUMA 3000 Aboriginal Perspectives in the Humanities, SPSW 3003 Case Management, SPSW 2001 Human Rights and SPSW 2002 Working with Communities and guest lecturer on a regular basis in education, theology, social work, philosophy, geography and history.

Administrative ExpertiseAdministration experience includes a grounding in accounting as a junior officer in the NSW State Treasury, several years as a legal clerk in the Court of Petty Sessions and working in administration in the NSW National Parks & Wildlife Service followed by over a decade in various accounting and managerial fields within the banking and finance industry followed by appointments at a HEW 7 & 8 at Griffith University. I have held numerous administrative roles in the University industry from Finance Committee, Ethics Committees, several Grant & Research Committees which includes 8 years on the Australian – American Fulbright Committee, drafted a successful Indigenous Australian Recruitment – Employment and Career Strategy at Griffith University, been a team member in the drafting and implementation of restructuring programs in both the Finance Sector and University. Worked in Human Resources and have a sound administrative background commensurate with my age and qualifications.

CollaborationsAs Australia’s first Professor in Indigenous entrepreneurship Dennis’s research collaboration is both national and international with recent Visiting Fellowships since his appointment as diverse as Kolding in Southern Denmark, Banff in Canada, Wellington and Auckland in NZ, Melbourne, Canberra, Perth and Adelaide based universities in Australia. As a Fulbright Scholar he has worked extensively in Hawaii researching Native Hawaiian entrepreneurs, he has won two Endeavour fellowships researching Maori entrepreneurship and following his second Endeavour in 2011, he will research the Irish ‘Travellers’ enterprises in and around Dublin. He was recently awarded a three year visiting Research Fellowship to the Australian National University at the Centre for Aboriginal Economic Policy Research, commencing in 2012 His research interests revolve around: 1) Indigenous business practices investigating leadership, management and the change process of the minority entrepreneur on their entry into business to try and understand motivators and inhibitors of successful minority entrepreneurs, to increase academic and societal understanding of minority entrepreneurship reviewing wealth creation - human capital and the construction of social capital in marginalized people. 2) Indigenous Entrepreneurship. 3) Indigenous Education. 4) The maintenance of cultural heritage management within Indigenous tourism. 5) Indigenous Epistemology. 6) Indigenous Social Well-being.

Qualifications

PhD, University of Queensland

Bachelor of Business, Griffith University

Master of Business Administration, Griffith University

Keywords

Aboriginal literature

Cross cultural studies

Entrepreneurship

Human Rights

Indigenous Enterprise & Entrepreneurship

Indigenous Entrepreneurship in Australia, New Zealand and Hawaii

Indigenous Research Methodology

Indigenous Studies

Indigenous business practices investigating leadership, management and the change process of the minority entrepreneur

Invitations

Keynote Speaker

Year

Title / Rationale

2009

'Indigenous Entrepreneurship'Organisation: Institute for Land Water and Society Research Forum, Chales Sturt Universtiy
Description:
2009 'Indigenous Entrepreneurship' Institute for Land Water and Society Research Forum, Chales Sturt Universtiy, Wagga Wagga, June 17

'Indigneous businesses: not all in the bush and not all community'Organisation: Koori Business Network Conference
Description:
2007 'Indigneous businesses: not all in the bush and not all community' Koori Business Network Conference, Melbourne Hilton, April 26

2007

'Indigenous Standpoint in a Business School'Organisation: Business School Equity and Diversity Annual Luncheon and Awards, Auckland University of Technology
Description:
2007 'Indigenous Standpoint in a Business School' address to the Business School Equity and Diversity Annual Luncheon and Awards, Auckland University of Technology, New Zealand, Sept 28

'A Sense of Place'Organisation: 75% of Indigenous Australians live in urban environments: What are the challenges in service delivery? Conference, Institute of Public Administration Australia, ACT Division
Description:
2006 'A Sense of Place': 75% of Indigenous Australians live in urban environments: What are the challenges in service delivery? Conference, Institute of Public Administration Australia, ACT Division, AIS Theatreete, Leverrier, Bruce ACT, Sept 28

'The Voice of Indigenous Poetry' Organisation: Sorry Day, The Australian National University
Description:
2005 'The Voice of Indigenous Poetry' Sorry Day, The Australian National University, Canberra May 26

'Working Cross-Culturally, Rethinking Community'Organisation: A symposium with Professor Marilyn Lake (La Trobe) and Professor Peter Read (ANU), The Royal Society of the Arts, The University of Sydney
Description:
2005 'Working Cross-Culturally, Rethinking Community', A symposium with Professor Marilyn Lake (La Trobe) and Professor Peter Read (ANU), The Royal Society of the Arts, The University of Sydney, 20 Sept

Foley D, 'Leadership the quandary of Aboriginal societies in crises: 1788 to 1830, and 1966', In Transgressions: critical Australian Indigenous histories, Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia 177-192 (2007) [B1]

2007

Foley D, 'What has Native Title done to the urban Koori in NSW who is also a traditional custodian?'', The Social Effects of Native Title Recognition, Translation, coexistence (CAEPR Research Monograph), ANU E Press, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia 167-182 (2007) [B1]

Foley DL, 'Does culture and social capital impact on the networking attributes of indigenous entrepreneurs?', Journal of Enterprising Communities: People and Places in the Global Economy, 2 204-224 (2008) [C1]

Review (1 outputs)

Conference (40 outputs)

Year

Citation

Altmetrics

Link

2015

Foley DL, 'How black do you have to be to be an Australian Aboriginal Business', 59th Annual International Council for Small Business World Conference, Dublin (2015)

2015

Foley DL, Hunter B, 'The marriage of qualitative and quantitative research establishing a theory on Indigenous Australian entrepreneurship: Establishing some definitions and theoretical perspectives.', The 59th Annual International Council for Small Business World Conference Dublin, Dublin (2015)

Foley D, 'A search for a more complex truth in Academia: Indigenous Standpoint Theory', Proceedings of the Third International Conference on New Directions in the Humanities., Cambridge, UK (2005) [E1]

2005

Foley D, 'What has Native Title done to the urban Koori in NSW who is also a traditional custodian?'', The Native Title Conference 2005: The Human Face of Native Title(Maabu-garri julu gunganbu-gundi jagunda), Coffs Harbour, Australia (2005) [E3]

2004

Foley D, 'Where do Indigenous Australian entrepreneurs fit into mainstream society?', 18th Annual Conference of the Australian & New Zealand Academy of Management 2004, Dunedin, New Zealand (2004) [E1]

20141 grants / $200,000

Canadian Social Sciences & Humanities Research Council Partnership Development Grant Description: The project investigates the community development and small business opportunities in 1st Nations reservation areas where we can make a difference within families by developing micro-economic reform.

Funding body: Canadian Social Sciences & Humanities Research Council Partnership Development Grant

Funding body

Canadian Social Sciences & Humanities Research Council Partnership Development Grant

Project Team

Scheme

Canadian Social Sciences & Humanities Research Council Partnership Development Grant

Role

Investigator

Funding Start

2014

Funding Finish

2017

GNo

Type Of Funding

International - Competitive

Category

3IFA

UON

Y

20132 grants / $209,294

This project tackles two critical issues relevant to Aboriginal peoples in Canada: how best to develop strategic alliances (SA) between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal organizations/ corporations in the natural resource sector, and how to use these alliances to leverage resources within the jurisdiction of First Nations’ communities to spin out innovative, sustainable new ventures while preserving heritage and culture.

Funding body: Canadian Social Sciences & Humanities Research Council Partnership Development Grant

Funding body

Canadian Social Sciences & Humanities Research Council Partnership Development Grant

20112 grants / $358,682

A nationwide research project involving both qualitative and quantitative research methodologies in Determining the Factors Influencing the Success of Private and Community-owned Indigenous Businesses across Remote, Regional and Urban Australia